Stone King
by SydWrites
Summary: Loki has taken over the throne of Asgard, with Odin and Thor out of the way. While many despise him and believe him to be a real- life villain, they do not know his true feelings, and his true motivations and thought process. (This may alter the movie's plots in multiple ways, and will not stick completely to the story or mythology)
1. Prologue

Nobody understood his true suffering. Nobody understood the pain, the betrayal, the thirst for power he felt. As a child, Loki was treated well, seeing as he was a prince of Asgard. In public, all showed great respect and presented him and Thor with presents and magical delights. But behind closed doors, it was a different story. Ever since a very young age, Loki had an interest in learning. He would shut himself in the palace's expansive library at the age of four, and wander for hours among the stacks of books and ancient scrolls. It was obvious how highly intelligent he was, and Frigga made a point of visiting him in the library at least once a week to find out what he was learning.

The very first day of his common schooling with the rest of the Asgardians his age, Thor gripped his hand tight and led him safely to his lesson. He was a very silent child, but mightily full of intellect surpassing that of some of his teachers. However, the young Asgardians were raised to be fighters, encouraged to spar with one another in their free time and play rough, as it would make them better warriors in the end. When a child like Loki arrives in their school, regardless if he was their prince or not, there was an obvious consensus among the pupils: Loki was _different_. At that age, it is hard to appreciate uniqueness, and in fact, it is often drilled into many young minds that to go anywhere in life, to have approval, to feel worthy of the breath that fills your lungs, you must fit in.

Now, that is not just a common practice on Asgard, it is in fact is what the unique individuals would consider an anomaly in humanity itself. Whether it is or not, not a single being will ever know. Is the concept of being streamlined, a gleaming golden person, a defect in our own consciousness, or one of the beauties of being alive? As he spent his free time researching magic and multitudes of knowledge, Loki often contemplated that exact question. He believed that it was a survival instinct in all, and the first step to true individuality was to become self- aware and evaluate what "fitting in" truly meant. Upon his own self- examination, Loki determined that he and Thor were polar opposites. He had hair the color of coal, and perennially pale skin. His eyes were the hue of ice and his build rather lanky. His brother was golden and glowing all over, from his sturdy frame to his long, blonde locks. Thor was the poster- child for a typical Asgardian prince, willing to fight for glory and skip lessons for tournaments of strength. He was considered popular and always stuck up for his disappointingly different baby brother.

As they grew, Loki became more and more aware of the gap between himself and his brother. Loki's powers and intelligence grew, and he trained his brain as well as Thor trained his body. Thor's recklessness and obliviousness toward diplomacy grew. On several occasions, he would sneak out at nighttime to fight with more powerful contenders, and more times than not, Loki would wake to the hulking figure of his older, muscle-headed brother at his bedside begging him to heal his wounds before Odin and Frigga found out. Loki always gave in eventually, and would fix Thor's bloody mess of a face and coax him to a dreamless sleep in his own bed. In more ways than one, Loki knew that he was much more mature than Thor. Deep down, Odin acknowledged that too. But Loki could never know the details of his true parentage, and he may never sit atop the throne of Asgard unless the realm was truly desperate.

When Thor was banished to Earth with mjolnir's power tucked away, Loki knew he was one step closer to achieving his ultimate goal: being named Odin's legitimate heir. All of that changed in an instant when it was revealed that he was not Loki Odinson, but rather Loki Laufeyson. Deep down, he felt that he always knew. It was obvious that he overacted at the news, but it was also obvious that Odin didn't trust him enough to divulge that particular secret. When Thor's powers were returned, he escaped to Midgard to accept a throne of his own creation, a measly substitute for the one he was destined for. Upon his imprisonment by the ones he used to call family, the heartless Odin Allfather, the still idiotic Thor Odinson, and powerless Frigga, he wasted away in prison. He was content with the situation, not getting his hands bloody, but solitary confinement breaks the barriers of any great mind eventually. Thor came to him for help, and he saw it as a way to rewrite everything. He gained Thor's trust, "died" a heroic "death", sealed Odin in a distant land of Loki's own creation, and even gently nudged Thor toward leaving Asgard for good, ensuring he didn't return. Now, he would shape the soft clay of Asgard into a whole new sculpture, taking back what was rightfully his.


	2. Chapter One

The plan was rather difficult to formulate at first. Loki transformed himself into Odin's form and called for an assembly in the throne room. He sat rigidly in Odin's throne, imitating the one he used to call father. "Citizens of Asgard," he began in the Allfather's booming voice, "There has been a slight _change_ in the matter of my line of succession." Instantly, the room went from attentive silence to a low, rambling murmur. "My two children, Thor and Loki, went to fight a mighty battle against the Dark Elves. They won, and the Aether was contained. There have been rumors of the death of Loki. I am putting those rumors to rest. Loki is alive and well, recovering in private. He has been redeemed in all of our eyes, willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the Nine Realms. My heir, Thor, has decided to take a… break. He has gone on his own path, and I forbid anyone from trying to contact him. He deserves peace." The crowd began talking again, rather disheartened at the thought of never seeing Thor again. It repelled Loki, making him talk stiffly as he finished the speech. "Because of these events, I am publicly proclaiming my second…son, Loki, my heir." He let the words sink in, readying himself for phase two. "I urge all of the citizens of Asgard to treat him as a prince, not a criminal, for he has-" he began coughing, loudly and viciously, covertly conjuring some fake blood. The guards immediately seized him, carrying who they thought was Odin to his chambers. Heimdall quickly leaped into action formally announcing that the king had been taken ill, and the assembly had come to a close.

In Odin's chambers, Loki kept up the act of the severe illness. After all, he had faked his own death once in the past twenty- four hours, so the second time would be even easier. He ordered the guards to leave the chamber, except the specially conjured one he had made. They begrudgingly marched out and stood stoic outside the closed doors. Loki began executing his plan, using a bit of magic he had only done a few times before: conjuring a solid, decoy dead body that could be given an examination. Once the counterfeit corpse was place, Loki took the form of the fake guard and walked militaristically out of the chamber. "The king is dead. Long live the king." All of the guards turned toward him. The next part of the plan was simple: tell the soldiers where Loki was "recovering" and sneak out of the pack to go there. Loki knew of all of the secret passages of Asgard, and it was quite simple to go to the concealed chamber. He returned to his true form, and all it took was some quick magical effects of healing scars to be ready. He simply lied down on the bed and waited for a guard to burst in through the door.

"Sir?" a sharp knock sounded on the door before a guard by the name of Brynjar entered. Loki sat up with great effort, smoothing his hair back out of his face.

"What is it, Brynjar? Has Odin sent you to imprison me? Kill me?" he said, making his voice sound strong yet hoarse. He had to appear as he was in recovery, to support his absence from the assembly.

Brynjar took his helmet off and held it low in front of him. "I regret to inform you that your father has died."

"Then _Thor_ has sent you to kill me. At the right moment, too, I am weak from saving all of you," he replied smartly, maintaining his obliviousness.

"Your older brother has taken a… rather long leave, with no contact to Asgard. In light of that event, Odin has named _you_ his successor." Almost grinning on the inside, Loki widened his eyes and sat up all the way. "There will be a public coronation this evening. The citizenship of Asgard had been warned by Odin to treat you as a prince rather than a war criminal, and you may punish those who do not as you see fit. I will now accompany you to your old chambers, where you may prepare for your coronation." Loki rose up and exited the small chamber into the large, bright corridor. Guards lined the walls, standing at attention. It was a strange sight for all to see, usually when the future king is retrieved, he is in his finest and walks with steely confidence.

Loki's clothing was torn, his black hair long and messy and his ice- cold blue eyes rimmed with dark circles. He walked with a small limp, though he knew that it was all for show. The guards marched him across the palace, surrounding him so the others may not see their weak new king before he was ready. They arrived at his golden- doored chamber in the lower level of the palace, a personal preference for he thrived in the dark. The guards left him, and Brynjar promised to return in a few hours to retrieve him. Then, Loki was left alone in the room he had not entered for a few years.

The walls were stone, covered with tapestries the hue of emeralds, a color he had always been fond of, and lined almost the whole way around with bookshelves overflowing with magic books and ancient texts. A large four- poster bed decorated with green and gold fabrics sat in the middle of the room on a higher stone platform and the small, high windows gave pale green light that Loki had enchanted. (The endless yellow sunshine was quite annoying when it was reflecting off the shiny buildings of Asgard.) Loki sat in an intimidating leather armchair and looked into the empty fireplace. With a swift movement of his hand, he conjured a bright blue flame in the hearth and stared pointlessly for several minutes, thinking about his new life. All connections with Thor would have to be sealed off completely, of course, but he would need to gain Heimdall's full trust first.

Several hours later, Loki felt much more refreshed if not for the weight in his soul that had been there since he was first betrayed by his family. He had cut a couple inches off of his hair and cleaned his body, a luxury he could not afford since he left Asgard. He pulled on his armor and his cape, polished his shoes, and pulled his golden helmet on snugly. He looked in the mirror, and looking back at him was the handsome trickster that he once was. When he looked closer, he still saw the remnants of purple circles beneath his eyes and small scars on his chin. It was part of his personality, he decided, his multitude of scars, both physical and mental.

Loki was doing something he never thought he would do- and it was certainly a one- time occasion. He kneeled on the stairs as Odin's right- hand man read off of an ancient scroll. "Do you, Loki Odinson of Asgard, swear to protect the Nine Realms until your dying breath?"

"I swear," his voice was strong and confident, unwavering against the stony silence of the court.

"And do you swear to treat the throne of Asgard with respect, as others have before you?"

"I swear," he felt the eyes of the citizens boring into the back of his skull.

"And do you swear to exercise diplomacy when dealing with all political matters in any realm?"

"I swear," it was almost over, but the quiet judgment would never cease.

"Please rise," Loki was handed his scepter, "King Loki of Asgard, your steadfast ruler." Loki raised the scepter, and turned with a spin of his cape, then ascended the steps slowly toward the throne. It was his moment, and though all watching secretly despised him, he held his head up high and focused on his careful, even steps. He sat crookedly in the adorned throne and slowly looked up at the population. Loki was on the throne, and Asgard would never be the same.


End file.
